Photo Gallery: 11 Reasons You're About to Love Whistler Even More

Tom Richards—Journeyman Millwright. Tom Richards’ day begins each morning at 4:30. By 6 a.m., he’s on the mountain. The same meteorological conditions that bring heavy snow and glorious storm skiing to Whistler make Tom’s job of inspecting, maintaining and repairing the lifts a difficult one. High winds, sideways snowfall, and temperatures cold or dynamic all make for a herculean task keeping the chairs moving up and down North America’s most expansive lift infrastructure.

Copyright: Jordan Manley

Whether you name terrain, snow or simply sheer size, Whistler always manages to rank among skier favorites—and that's without even scratching the surface of what makes this epic place tick. The resort's heartbeat doesn't radiate from one central place, rather, it's everywhere you look and it's why the mountain opens each day for your skiing pleasure.

Not unlike other ski resorts, they cook your food, keep you safe, drive you to the base and point you in the right direction; but with backstories like these, Whistler's workforce will wow you.

From the guy who makes snow magic to the first female cat driver to rake groom lines into it, these 11 resort employees are loving life. The lifty turned lifer and the 69-year-old mountain host who aspires to drop dead right here... on skis—all proof that it's good to work at Whistler Blackcomb.